HG Construction has been appointed to deliver £225m of residential work in Manchester, comprising 895 homes across two plots within the Red Bank neighbourhood, part of the wider Victoria North regeneration scheme. The programme includes a 34-storey build-to-rent tower and a further three-building scheme, with the next phase subject to Building Safety Regulator Gateway 2 approval.
A luxury residential scheme in north Leeds, previously stalled after the original contractor entered administration, is expected to resume once a replacement contractor is appointed. The project’s lender has also moved to appoint administrators to the development company, adding another layer of restructuring around the scheme.
A witness in the Higgins Homes fatal lift case has denied fabricating his account of a crane incident that led to the death of a pedestrian in Bow, east London. The court heard conflicting evidence about whether the pallet of bricks struck scaffolding, how the load was secured, and who was responsible for the lift setup.
Unite has accused Taylor Wimpey of using dismissal and rehire tactics to reduce bonus pay for 50 joiners and scaffolders in the North East, with the union alleging the cuts would exceed 30%. Taylor Wimpey says it is consulting on revising bonus calculations to align pay more closely with market rates and has stated that it has engaged ACAS and is continuing discussions with employees.
The Technology and Construction Court refused to delay enforcement of a £1.6m adjudication judgment against LUC Construction, despite its argument that immediate payment could threaten its business. The court held that a party claiming inability to pay must evidence why funds cannot be raised from shareholders or other sources, and found LUC had not done so.
The article argues that blockchain and smart contracts could improve traceability, accountability and record-keeping in construction, particularly for safety-critical materials and compliance data. It links this to the post-Grenfell push for better information management, including the golden thread requirements introduced in England in October 2023.
The article reports on a trial concerning a fatal incident at a Higgins Homes construction site, where a pallet of bricks fell and killed a pedestrian. A self-employed slinger working for a subcontractor described trying to stop the load before it struck a scaffolding pole and fell.
Farrans Construction reported a significant pre-tax loss in its latest annual accounts, driven by additional provisions on legacy contracts and a difficult trading environment marked by inflation and economic uncertainty. Despite the loss, the company said it retained a strong order book, ongoing support from Sisk Group, and positive demand across its core infrastructure sectors.
New legislation has been introduced that would make it easier for contractors and developers who have paid to replace unsafe cladding to recover those costs from product manufacturers. The Building Safety (Remediation of Unsafe Cladding etc) Bill is intended to support cost recovery linked to remediation work.
The government has opened a consultation on relaxing company reporting rules, including extending audit exemptions to medium-sized companies and simplifying annual accounts requirements. The proposals are intended to reduce compliance costs for businesses, but industry commentators warn they could weaken confidence in financial information used by contractors, lenders and suppliers.
The article discusses the Highways (Financing) Bill, which would allow private finance to support major strategic road schemes in England through a regulated asset base model overseen by the Office of Rail and Road. It argues that the approach could reduce funding constraints and improve delivery certainty, but only if risk is allocated fairly and regulation is robust.
The local NHS trust says the facade installed by Merit Health on an unfinished hospital project needs replacing, alongside concerns about the steel frame. Robertson is due to begin removing mechanical and electrical systems, pipework and internal elements as part of the next phase of work.
